I need help with my nuts.....

1poorplayer

1poorplayer

Power User
Ahem , is there a doctor in the house ?
I'm a newbie in Stratland. I'm using Ernie's slinky balls ( 10's ) strings , and there's definitely some hangup on the nut. I want to be able to use the trem and keep pitch , and I believe I'll be able to , once the nut is properly cut.
I know stewmac and others have file sets , but before I buy any , I was hoping someone here had some insight on actual file size for a 10 guage string to slide thru , or technique in filing , or ?
One fellow said he just takes a slightly larger string and runs it back and forth in the slot to wallow it out , another said he files at a slant toward the headstock , instead of straight across.
Can anyone help me out ?
 
Been a player 30+ years, been making a living as a professional luthier for around 15. Here's my $0.02.

Just take it to someone who knows what they are doing. Nut filing is a complex art, ( width, graduation, ramping, profiles, depth, compound tapers) that while anyone can learn, you will NOT be doing a good job right out of the gate. If you want to learn lutherie, by all means learn it, but don't expect to be able to solve problems like that correctly over night.

Today you have an acute problem with your guitar. You can't just easily look up that knowledge you need and then put it into application. Pay someone to fix your problem TODAY so you can happily play guitar. Then start learning lutherie skills, so next time you need something done on your guitar to repair it, you have a shot at fixing it yourself successfully.
 
Well , OK. You're being honest. Thank you.
I've worked on every part of a guitar except the nut.
Been playing over 30 years myself. First strat. Never had to to mess with one before , other than putting a little crazy glue in one that was cut too deep - from the factory , when I was about 20 years old.
My local LUTHIER isn't really local.
I wasn't afraid to reshape necks , refinish bodies , dress frets , etc . on my other guitars. I didn't think this would be too challenging , just worthy of some valuable tips and a point in the right direction , but maybe I'm wrong.
 
Nut files are the right tool for the job, but for a few bucks you can pick up an oxy-acetylene torch tip cleaner set like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lincoln-...C-_-NavPLPHorizontal1_rr-_-NA-_-100341101-_-N

Same basic product is sold at some auto parts shops as a carburetor jet cleaner. It's like a set of miniature round files for cleaning out tiny holes. Way cheaper than a set of nut files and they work like a charm for very basic nut cleaning and adjustments.

Pull the string up out of the slot temporarily. Pick a file that fits in the slot and carefully take a very gentle swipe across each side of the nut slot. Keep the tool angled parallel with the path of the string down towards it's tuning peg or string tree (use adjacent strings as a guide). The front edge of the nut where it meets the fretboard should be the highest point in the slot to avoid buzzing on open notes. Be very gentle and go slow, checking the fit after every couple of swipes. You don't want to go too far. Again, work on the sides of the slot, avoiding the bottom of the slot unless you know it needs to be deeper. Rub a little pencil graphite or nut sauce in the slot and you're good to go.

You can do the same with some folded and creased very fine grit polishing paper, but the round profile of the tip cleaners is more precise and controllable.
 
Toopy14 said:
Try some Big Bends Nut Sauce first. You can also try and lubricate the slot with some graphite (ie. a pencil).
Click to expand...

Thanks. I've got a tube of graphite. I haven't used it yet. I figured since the strat comes with 9's instead of 10's , the nut probably needs a little widening. I was thinking of widening the slots first , then applying the nut sauce.
 
mr_fender said:
Nut files are the right tool for the job, but for a few bucks you can pick up an oxy-acetylene torch tip cleaner set like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lincoln-...C-_-NavPLPHorizontal1_rr-_-NA-_-100341101-_-N

Same basic product is sold at some auto parts shops as a carburetor jet cleaner. It's like a set of miniature round files for cleaning out tiny holes. Way cheaper than a set of nut files and they work like a charm for very basic nut cleaning and adjustments.

Pull the string up out of the slot temporarily. Pick a file that fits in the slot and carefully take a very gentle swipe across each side of the nut slot. Keep the tool angled parallel with the path of the string down towards it's tuning peg or string tree (use adjacent strings as a guide). The front edge of the nut where it meets the fretboard should be the highest point in the slot to avoid buzzing on open notes. Be very gentle and go slow, checking the fit after every couple of swipes. You don't want to go too far. Again, work on the sides of the slot, avoiding the bottom of the slot unless you know it needs to be deeper. Rub a little pencil graphite or nut sauce in the slot and you're good to go.

You can do the same with some folded and creased very fine grit polishing paper, but the round profile of the tip cleaners is more precise and controllable.
Click to expand...

This is excellent. I happen to have a set of cleaners.
Is there any negative effects of a slot that is say ,.... TOO wide ? Not too deep , but too wide ?
 
Width is not as critical as depth and angle. The slot can be a few thousandths of an inch larger than the diameter of the string and not cause any real harm. You don't want the slot so wide that the string can rock back and forth in it though. Keeping a round profile to the slot bottom that roughly matches the profile of the string will help keep the string sitting in one spot. The downward pressure from string tension will make it settle into the center of the round profile on its own. The critical parts are the depth, which sets the string height above the 1st fret, and a clean take off point at the front of the nut slot, hence the slight downward back angle. If the slot if filed flat (parallel to the fretboard axis) or with an up angle, it can buzz against the front edge of the slot similar to the buzzing you can get with worn flat frets.
 
One trick you can use to prevent cutting deeper on white colored nuts it to mark the slot with a pencil before cutting. If the graphite disappears from the bottom of the slot, you know you're hitting the bottom.

Stock nut should be ok for 10's, but you might have a slight burr in the slot or something. Don't forget about the string trees as well. The string can definitely hang up there too. Locking tuners can make a big difference too because you don't have to use any string winds around the tuning posts. Eliminates a lot of slipping and binding there.
 
Also, never adjust the bridge post height with the guitar tuned up to pitch (with any tremolo). There's a crap load of pressure on those tiny knife edges and turning the post to adjust the height is a sure fire way to make flat spots on the knife edges that can cause all kinds of stability issues. Loosen the strings first.
 
mr_fender said:
Also, never adjust the bridge post height with the guitar tuned up to pitch (with any tremolo). There's a crap load of pressure on those tiny knife edges and turning the post to adjust the height is a sure fire way to make flat spots on the knife edges that can cause all kinds of stability issues. Loosen the strings first.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Great tips.
I learned about ruining knife edges on floyds a while back. A pain in the Azz to loosen , screw , and retighten , but - worth it.

Knowing the physics involved with the strings needing to move freely over the nut to maintain tune , I thought it would make sense to ensure they had room , by means of a file.
Yup , only 10's. That's why I brought up earlier , that someone I know mentioned grabbing a string from both ends and running it thru the nut back and forth , like a saw , to clear or widen the slot a bit , instead of an actual file.
All great tips so far. Thanks .
 
mwd said:
Can't imagine a stock strat not being able to handle a set of 10's without having to modify it.
Click to expand...

I noticed all my strings currently go sharp after bending downward on the trem bar. That's what sparked my interest in filing a bit.
 
I posted a video here a few threads up , of a guy slamming his vintage trem down like a Floyd and keeping perfect tune. That's another reason that made me think I better do a little nut work on mine. Check it out if you haven't. I'd never seen anything like it before , but , I'm new to strats all together so .......
 
I use two files, a .024 and a .013, and can do everything from 009's on a strat to 012's on an acoustic. mr_fender has already covered about all you need to know. Practise....You can get some cheap material to practice on from amazon. With your new nut in place and guitar tuned to pitch, adjust your truss rod to get your neck straight. Capo or hold the string down at the third fret from the nut, and file till the strings almost touches the fret above it; you should barely see daylight. This gets you really close to where the nut depth should be. Be very careful going deeper. If the neck has bow, and you use this technique, and then straighten the neck, you'll be too low. I use this on both electrics and acoustics. And it works well for me. After the nut is done then you can set the bridge height. I get great action using this method and by keeping the file parallel with the string, with a slight angle down towards the peg head and rocking the file back and forth to carefully widen the slot so that there is no binding. Practice makes perfect.
 
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